Embrace the Struggle

Get real. No one really wants to struggle. It takes a lot of energy, drive, and focus to persevere through the struggle in efforts to find success. That – and a good amount of sleep. My goal was to post this on Monday – or at least earlier in the week… but here it is – Friday! Finally Friday. What a week or two it has been! Would I change it? Well, maybe some things and maybe not some things….What I have decided along this journey of life is I can either spend my time and energy looking backwards to the past for “what if” moments or embrace it and make right now work…embrace the struggle!

I recently attended the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. I had never been to Nashville before – and I highly recommend visiting! As a friend and colleague once wrote, “Nashville didn’t disappoint.” You just never know when you might stumble upon an impromptu jam session with Lady Antebellum. Who knew? Well – we certainly didn’t. We did see a big charter bus outside The Stage. I asked a few folks standing in line about who they were going to see. Their responses? One said, “Carrie Underwood.” Another confidently yelled, “Free hot dogs.” This made us laugh of course. The idea of standing in line for a hot dog? Well – if it is a really good hot dog then maybe. Once inside we learned it was Lady A. The show soon started, and it was incredible. Did I mention the price? Free! Did I mention where I was standing? Front of the stage! Okay – so no struggle there! It was a struggle to decide to wait in line or keep on keepin’ on. We waited – and it paid off! It did cut into some shut-eye time, however.

Speaking of missing sleep…while attending the conference, there was a session on mental health awareness, which highlighted the need for sleep and how our world is functioning in a sleep-deprived state regularly. There were a lot of lessons learned from the session, but one main thought is that lack of sleep causes us to make poor decisions. If we add caffeine into the mix to keep us functioning, it simply allows us to make those poor decisions quicker. Yikes! Decision-making under the influence of sleep deprivation is a struggle. I was about to reach for another cup of joe at that moment, but opted for a quick 15-minute snooze instead. And you know what? I felt pretty darn good after that. Maybe the sleep researchers are truly on to something.

Additionally there were timely sessions about inclusion as well as mindsets. As I listened to the speakers share their stories as well as research, I kept hearing and thinking to myself – Attitude can make a difference. I’ve heard it before, and I am sure you have as well. You will probably continue to hear it – because it is true. Attitude can do a lot of things. Attitude can make a struggle manageable.

The Presidential Inauguration took place while at convention. Let me tell you it was a struggle not to skip the day’s events to be glued to the television. My thought it that no matter a person’s political position, there needs to be a respect for the Office. Considering this, I would want to watch the day’s events unfold because it is our history. People joined together to watch the future unfold. Indeed, attitude can make all the difference.

Continuing to reflect upon attitude, I revisited the thought about attitude making such a big difference when aboard Southwest Airlines. They are just friendly people, aren’t they? From the gatekeeper to the flight attendant, they can really “just smile” when doing just about anything – handing out peanuts and all. They seemed really happy and having a good time. Are they really that happy though? Attitude can be contagious. I thought, “Could I do that?” Why yes – yes I could. New mantra – “Fake it until you make it.” Okay – I will give it a try! It may be a struggle, but I will aim to embrace it. Spread the contagious attitude.

While at the airport, I found myself with extra time. Rare, I know! I found a book called Outliers: The story of success by Malcolm Gladwell. Perhaps you have read this #1 National Bestseller’s David and Goliath. I found myself engrossed in this reading. The author tells the story in an easy-to-read narrative fashion. I have not quite finished the book yet, but I will soon and will share it with you. Lots of takeaways from the reading so far…

So what are some take-aways from my visit to Nashville and living the past few weeks?

Smile. Laugh. Take in your surroundings. Enjoy the journey; it’s the only one you’ve got.

Everyone has his or her own struggle. Support me with mine. Support you with yours.

Don’t judge mine, and I won’t judge yours. Struggles are real – so embrace them and carry on.